Memories
by The Insane Shanchan
Summary: This is a story about Wufei's past. The memories are from Ep. Zero, but I added more description. As for the rest, it's all of my own unless otherwise stated.


Memories  
  
By: Shanchan  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. Neither is Episode Zero. I am a big fan though. And I didn't write the poem either. It's a rough translation of a poem by a Chinese poet in the 11th century named Su Dongpo. Don't sue me, please!  
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Sunlight shone upon a grassy meadow filled with flowers in a space colony in the L5 colony cluster. All was silent except the gentle wind that blew across the grass. A lonely figure dressed in a white Chinese style shirt and black pants walked slowly towards a tombstone in the middle of the meadow. Flowers of every shade blossomed with beauty and the birds were singing their hearts out, but the figure didn't care. His shoulder length black hair was not tied up and it messily framed his thin face. In one hand, he held a bouquet of flowers for the grave and in the other he held a well-polished saber.  
  
Approaching the grave, the boy bowed and laid the flowers upon the earth. His slanted obsidian eyes glistened with tears. If anyone stood there to see him, they would wonder how anyone could look so sorrowful.   
  
"Why?" He whispered sadly to the grave. "Why Nataku? Why did you have to fight? You were the strongest woman I knew... but you were not strong enough... you were still weaker than me..."  
  
His voice trailed off as a flashback resurfaced in his mind and though he tried, he was unable to brush the memory aside.  
  
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A girl screamed a battle cry as she sliced up an enemy mobile suit. Her shoulder length black hair was tied in two low ponytails (pigtails) and her eyes were filled with worried. It was the same meadow that Wufei was visiting; however, there was chaos instead of serenity. Flower petals flew into the air and even though it was beautiful, the girl looked at the sight alarmingly. The flowers would all die if she didn't take the battle to outer space, so turning the engine to high power, she lead the enemy outside right when Wufei ran into the field. The petals swirled around him as he stood in the middle of the destruction and yelled out to her, "Stop! You don't have the strength to pilot that! Come back!"  
  
Sweat dripped from Meiran's forehead as the girl replied though clenched teeth, "Don't give me orders! This is a fight for justice!"   
  
The boy stood in the meadow for a few moments and suddenly, he broke into a run. The grass and flowers flew past him as he angrily whispered to himself, "Stupid woman! How does she think she can uphold justice without any strength?!"  
  
Outside, the pigtailed girl continued to fight the other mobile suits. Obviously outnumbered, her MS was hit and she spat out blood. Wiping her mouth, she closed her space suit's helmet faceplate as look of worry upon her face was replaced with a determination that shone though the young girl's eyes. "Come an get me!" She yelled. "I am JUSTICE!"   
  
Inside the colony, Wufei jumped into Shenlong's cockpit. He was wearing his usual black tank top. The scientist looked at him and said, "Shenlong doesn't have any good weapons...."  
  
Wufei replied simply, "Fine. I'm not fighting for justice."  
  
The bald scientist raised an eyebrow, "Then why are you going?"  
  
The chinese boy put on the restraints for his Gundam as he angrily answered, "Because I'm not such a coward that I can stand by while my wife is killed!" With that, he flew into battle, his face burning with rage.  
  
"BASTARDS!!!!!!!" A scream of fury was heard as Shenlong began destroying enemy suits.   
  
Meiran was struggling to stay alive when she suddenly saw Wufei's Gundam. "Wu-Wufei..." She whispered weakly.   
  
Looking at his wife, Wufei placed Shenlong between her and the enemy. "Leave this to me!" He commanded her.  
  
Meiran looked at Wufei. Her mind filled with confusion. She knew she loved him and she didn't want him to die for her. "Wufei!" She cried, not knowing what else to say.  
  
Gazing at Meiran, Wufei yelled again, "Hu-hurry up and get the hell out of here! A wife should listen to her husband!!"  
  
Reluctantly, Meiran whispered, "Ok..."  
  
When Meiran's mobile suit was out of the way, Wufei, raised a gun to his Gundam's shoulder, and fired. "TAKE THAT!"  
  
The enemy OZ pilot said to himself, "I can't allow His Excellency, Treize's name to be dirtied in a place such as this!"   
  
Wufei's eyes, shone with hatred, "Treize... That's the name of the man in charge of this?"  
  
The enemy didn't answer, and fires instead at Meiran. Wufei tries to block the fire with a shot from his gun, but it is out of energy. Cursing, he watches helplessly as Meiran's MS collides with an attacking mobile suit and she floats limply out in her space suit amidst the wreckage.   
  
Wufei lets out an agonizing cry, "MEIRAN!" Whispering her name again, he scooped her up in the hands of his Gundam. "Hang on, Meiran!" He told her.   
  
Meiran whispered, her life almost completely drained from her, "I- I'm Nataku..."  
  
Gazing at her lovingly, Wufei sighed and replied, "...Yeah. You're Nataku. I won't call you Meiran anymore..."  
  
The girl smiled and whispered to Wufei, "You could... praise me a little, you know... I protected... that field of... flowers."  
  
"Baka!" Wufei chided gently as he blushed.   
  
Meiran's eyes closed slowly as she whispered, "So, please... take me to that field..."  
  
Wufei nods his head even though she was unable to see him. He returned to the colony and leaped out of his Gundam. Then, taking Meiran gently in his arms, he walked towards the field. The flowers were safe and flourishing and Meiran slowly opened her eyes. Taking in the scene around her, she smiled, "It's... beautiful... isn't it. I've never appreciated flowers like this before."   
  
Wufei gently set her down and sat down beside her. He looked at her, eyes filled with worry. Meiran returned his gaze. "Wufei..." She said softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I... was strong, wasn't I? You weren't ashamed of me as your wife, were you?" She asked, hoped filled her voice. She wanted Wufei to respect as well as love her.   
  
"Yeah... You're strong. ...Stronger than anyone." Wufei told her. His eyes glistened with tears and he turned away so she wouldn't see him crying. She was so stupid to think he would be ashamed of her. He loved her, even though the marriage was forced.  
  
"No... You are... stronger..." Meiran whispered as she leaned upon his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, get off of me." Wufei yelled when he realized she was leaning on him. The girl was silent. Turning his head, Wufei looked over at his wife. Her eyes were closed and her lips were curved into a peaceful smile. Shaking her limp body, Wufei tried desperately to wake the girl, "Hey...? Hey!? Open your eyes!"   
  
Wufei looked at Meiran, heart filled with regret. No longer able to hold back his tears, he let them fall freely. How could she leave him? It was too soon... way too soon.... He wish he had been nicer to her... had made her happier... had respected her more... but it was too late. They were now separated by life and death... and until he died, he was never to hear her voice again except in his dreams. Holding her body tightly against him, Wufei cried out in grief, "I haven't yet shown myself worthy of being your husband! NATAKU!"  
  
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The writing on the tombstone is clear now: Meiran Chang. Beloved wife. She fought to the end. May her spirit rest in peace. (A.C. 180-194) And beneath it, was a poem by a famous chinese poet who lived in the 11th Century:  
  
Ten years we've been separated by life and death.  
I try not to think about you,  
Yet it is impossible.   
On an endless field with a lonely grave,  
There is no one to confide in.  
Even if we were to meet,   
I would be a stranger,  
My face seemed covered with dust,  
My hair has turned to frost.  
  
Last night I returned home in my dreams,  
The little window was open,  
You sat brushing you lovely hair.  
Staring in silence,  
Our endless tears fell.  
Every year in a time and place,  
My heart will break once more.  
It's during a full moon night,  
On the place we love.  
  
Wufei closed his eyes and wrung his head away from the grave; his tears fell like water from a waterfall. Softly but firmly, the young boy whispered, "Nataku, I will be leaving for Earth tomorrow. I will get my revenge! I swear to you I will kill Treize!!"  
  
He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and fastened it with some string.. Then, bowing, Wufei took his saber and did a kata in front of the grave for the last time. He came to this place everyday since Meiran's death to train. And each day he felt his strength grow. Wufei picked this spot for two reasons. One, it was in front of his deceased wife's grave; two, no one ever visits the meadow.  
  
The saber moved swiftly though the air. So fast that no one could see anything if they were there to watch except flashes of light. But no one was there except the gentle wind that glided softly over the meadow. Wufei spun around in the air, practicing crescent kicks as well as other moves as his saber weaved though the grass. Flower petals flew everywhere and were embraced by the wind. Twisting and turning, the swirl of petals surrounded the troubled boy.   
  
Suddenly, Wufei's saber slipped from his grasp and flew into the sky, towards the setting sun. He stared blankly at the saber as it curved in the air and began to fall. Sighing, he fell down onto the grass as memories flooded his mind once more...  
  
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Meiran stood in the flowers, her hands on her hips. She was wearing a dark chinese-style shirt and pants. Her hair was in her usual two little ponytails (pigtails). Eyes filled with anger, her voice cried out sharply, "Wufei! You call yourself a man? I thought that, after becoming my partner, you'd change a little. I guess I was completely wrong."  
  
Wufei continued the read his book, pretending to not notice her existence. A small bird was perched on his shoulder and the gentle creature looked very content.   
  
Meiran was losing her patience, "Wufei! Why don't you ever practice fighting techniques, like the others?  
  
Wufei looked up from his book, he eyes blank and emotionless. "Why... do you fight?" he questioned the fuming girl.  
  
Meiran's eyes glistened with determination as she firmly said two words, "For Justice!"   
  
Wufei closed his book and laughed coldly. Smirking, he looked into her dark eyes, "Justice? You really think there is such a thing?"  
  
Meiran positioned herself into a fighting stance as she glared at Wufei while saying, "Do you want me to show you?"  
  
The boy pulled off his glasses and looked at Meiran with a surprised look. He wondered how he could want to fight, but his face didn't show any emotion. Instead, he coldly replied, "Go ahead."  
  
Suddenly, rain began to pour as Wufei and Meiran began to fight. Meiran attacks with a punch that Wufei easily evades. Then, Wufei lifts his knee in attempt to hit her stomach, but she uses his knee and flips gracefully over the boy. Landing, she drops to the ground and spins her leg in a wide circle, hoping to trip her husband. Wufei leaps up and kicked her in the stomach when she was standing up. Meiran fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of her. Breathing hard, she tried to get up but failed. Wufei towered over her, watching with his cold eyes, his hair plastered to his neck.  
  
Meiran stayed on her hands and knees. Her mind filled with confusion as one phrase repeated itself in her mind: I lost. She looked up at Wufei, and in a trembling voice, asked, "How... how could it be? I am the strongest of our clan..."  
  
Wufei gazed at her for a moment. His eyes chilled her to the bone, but his words hurt her the most, "You think you're Nataku? You have a lot of nerve, calling yourself by that name. There is no justice, except in rare circumstances. A fight based on such a thing is meaningless."   
  
Meiran dragged herself to her feet. Tears ran down her face, mixing with the rain. Her hair was soaked and she was a mess. She looked at Wufei and said, "I understand that! But even so, I have to fight! That's the way of our people!"   
  
The two stare at each other as the rain continued to pour... dripping down from their hair, seeping slowly into the fertile earth.   
  
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Wufei started to cry again. He missed Meiran. He missed her smile. He missed her determined spirit. And most of all, he missed her constant talk of justice and integrity. Walking over to the tombstone, he read the poem again.   
  
Laughing emptily, Wufei whispered, "At least you enjoyed your life with your wife! I didn't appreciate her when she lived. And I'll never be able to love her as you did yours. You're lucky compared to me." The words were directed at the writer of the poem. He wrote the piece in memory of his deceased wife on the ten year anniversary of her death.  
  
The tears fell on Wufei's shirt, soaking it, but he didn't care. No one was there to see... and even if there were people, they wouldn't say anything. They would be considerate of his feelings for they all honored Meiran. Kneeling on the ground, he allowed himself to cry to his heart's content. When he ran out of tears, he picked up his saber and headed slowly home.   
  
The gentle wind stopped blowing and the meadow was silent again. Not even the birds sang as Wufei walked home. All were paying their respects to the girl that died to protect the meadow. No one knew it was to be Wufei's last time to ever visit his wife's grave.  



End file.
